Li Jinglei gnashed his teeth and said, "That little bastard Zhou Yang may be a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner, but he's not worth sending the Huang family's experts after. Killing him won't be difficult. You rest at home—I'm going to the hospital to see Li Qiang."
To him, his son was still the most important. He needed to check on Li Qiang's condition. Moreover, since his son had suffered such a heavy blow, it was his duty as a father to comfort him.
After speaking, he quickly left the room and got into a Rolls-Royce Phantom, heading straight for the hospital.
---
Chunjiang No. 1 High School.
News of Zhou Yang teaching Li Qiang a lesson quickly spread, instantly becoming the hottest topic in the school. Nearly every student was discussing Zhou Yang, and those who didn't know him personally rushed to Class 5 of Grade 12 just to catch a glimpse of him.
As a result, the classroom of Class 5 was bustling, and Zhou Yang was kept very busy.
He had to deal with numerous enthusiastic girls, repeatedly explaining that he already had a girlfriend.
Even so, the girls refused to back down. Some even boldly declared that they didn't mind how many girlfriends Zhou Yang had, as long as he would accept them.
Lin Qinglu, seeing so many girls actively pursuing Zhou Yang, couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis. To prevent others from stealing him away, she moved to the back row and became his deskmate.
She looked at Zhou Yang and said, "Now that you've become the school's celebrity, with so many girls liking you, do you regret making me your girlfriend?"
Zhou Yang replied earnestly, "Having a school beauty like you as my girlfriend—I don't regret it at all."
Lin Qinglu was delighted by his words. Smiling, she said, "Then after school tonight, I want you to walk me home."
In the past, many boys who had pursued Lin Qinglu had offered to escort her home, only to be mercilessly rejected. This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to ask a boy to walk her home.
Zhou Yang was more than happy to oblige. In his past life, he never had the chance to date Lin Qinglu. In this life, since fate had granted him this opportunity, he intended to cherish it and have a passionate romance with her.
Besides, he was now an eighth-grade Qi Practitioner—nothing could stand in the way of his relationship with Lin Qinglu.
In Huaxia, strength was often proportional to status. Generally, any Qi Practitioner above the second grade commanded respect. In a small city like Chunjiang, a fifth-grade Qi Practitioner already held a high status—even the city's political and business elites would show them deference.
Let alone Zhou Yang, an eighth-grade Qi Practitioner. At the very least, starting today, his status would gradually rise.
He smiled and said, "Sure. From now on, I'll walk you home every day. I'll be your perfect protector."
Just then, a stunning woman in her mid-twenties walked into the classroom. She stood around 170 cm tall, with shoulder-length hair and light makeup. Her skin was as fair as jade, smooth and flawless, and her eyes were as clear as autumn water. She wore a white blouse that clung tightly to her full chest—the buttons seemed on the verge of bursting, faintly revealing a black lace bra beneath, exuding undeniable allure.
Her lower half was clad in denim shorts, showcasing her long, slender legs in all their glory—enough to make anyone's nose bleed.
The woman's presence was extraordinary, rivaling even the world-famous models on the Victoria's Secret runway.
She was none other than Xie Shiya, the homeroom teacher of Class 5, Grade 12.
In all of Chunjiang No. 1 High School, her appeal far surpassed even that of Lin Qinglu, the school beauty. It could be said that wherever she appeared—whether students or teachers, men or women—all eyes were inevitably drawn to her.
Of course, this beautiful teacher also had an impressive background. She was the daughter of Xie Qian, the head of the Xie family—one of the four great families of Chunjiang—and was herself a second-grade Qi Practitioner.
At Chunjiang No. 1 High School, almost no one dared to provoke her. Yet, she never acted like a spoiled young mistress, remaining humble and low-key.
She was highly responsible toward her students and had an excellent reputation. The students all adored and respected her.
Even though Zhou Yang had poor grades, came from a poor family, and was often dismissed as a "good-for-nothing," Xie Shiya had always looked out for him. When Li Qiang and others bullied Zhou Yang, she had even stepped in to help.
After entering the classroom, she slowly walked up to Zhou Yang's desk and smiled at him. "I heard you injured Li Qiang and a Li family expert at the Martial Arts Club?"
She had already heard about the incident at the club. She also knew that Li Qiang had indeed been seriously injured and was currently hospitalized. To be honest, if it weren't for the students talking about it, she wouldn't have believed it was true.
In her impression, Zhou Yang had always been an average student with mediocre performance. Moreover, she was aware that both students and other teachers were accustomed to labeling him as a "good-for-nothing."
Zhou Yang had a favorable impression of Xie Shiya and answered frankly, "Yes, I injured Li Qiang and the Li family expert. Because Li Qiang went too far. If this incident causes trouble for the school, I'm willing to take full responsibility—even if the school expels me, I won't complain."
Truth be told, after beating up Li Qiang, he had already prepared for the worst. Whatever punishment the school handed down, he would accept it.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shiya thought to herself, *Good job! I've long disliked that brat Li Qiang.*
Moreover, she now saw Zhou Yang in a new light, realizing that this eighteen-year-old boy was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Her beautiful eyes carefully scrutinized Zhou Yang from head to toe as she said meaningfully, "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, the school won't expel you. If anything happens, I, as your homeroom teacher, will take responsibility. It seems you've been hiding your true strength all along. Rumor has it you're at the seventh level of Profound Sky Qi?"
This was all hearsay to her, and she wanted to verify it personally. She found it hard to believe that an eighteen-year-old could be a seventh-level Profound Sky Qi master.
As a member of the Xie family, she knew exactly what seventh-level Profound Sky Qi meant. Her father, Xie Qian, was already fifty years old and had only reached the fifth level. Moreover, the fifth level was a major hurdle—some people could never surpass it in their lifetime.
Thus, she was deeply intrigued by Zhou Yang. If the Xie family could establish a good relationship with him, their influence in Chunjiang would undoubtedly skyrocket, instantly suppressing the other three major families.
Though she was just a teacher, she had always wanted the Xie family to become the top family in Chunjiang. Faced with such an opportunity, she had no intention of letting it slip by. Besides, she was Zhou Yang's teacher—the advantage of proximity was on her side.
Zhou Yang didn't overthink it. He replied modestly, "I'm not entirely sure how strong I am."
Even though he now possessed eighth-level Profound Sky Qi strength, he didn't want to reveal too much about his abilities. He preferred to keep a low profile.